Spring detent engaging means for carpet sweeper sectional handle



April 23, 1957 w. E. sli-:BERT 2,789,839

SPRING DETENT ENGAGING MEANS FOR CARPET swEEPER sEcTroNAL HANDLE Filed Aug. 27. 1952 SPRINGDET-ENTUENGAGING MEANS FOR* CAR- y PETSSWEEBERSECTIONAU HANDLE Application..August-27, 1952,` SriaLNo. 30654@- 1 claim. (cl. 28a-1);

"lhisfinventionf-relates te-improvements in asectional handle for carpet sweepers and the like.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a tubular metal sectional handle for carpet sweepers and the like which may be shipped in the knockdown or disassembled form and quickly and easily assembled by an unskilled person, and one in which the sections when assembled are securely joined and very difcult to disassemble.

Second, to provide a sectional handle having these advantages in which the parts may be coated or finished, for example with a metal paint, and the nish is not disturbed or injured in the assembling and one in which, when the sections are assembled, is externally smooth and of uniform diameter from end to end.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention Will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a carpet sweeper, mainly conventionally shown, with a handle embodying my invention, the handle being shown in lowered position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section on a line corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. l showing details of the joints between the sections.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view partially in longitudinal section illustrating a pair of the sections in partially engaged position and the guiding relation of certain of the parts.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the dowel end of one of the sections.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the socket and of a section viewed from the right of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view of the sections arranged in side by side relation and banded together for shipment or storage.

It is a matter of common experience and observation that the packing and delivery of carpet sweepers and other devices provided with handles of considerable length in individual cartons has been handicapped by the fact that the handle cannot be included in the carton but must be separately packaged or handled. This greatly adds to the expense and frequently results in incomplete deliveries to the final customer owing to the handle being lost or misplaced. The `applicants invention provides a handle formed of sections which may be arranged in a compact assembly and included in a carton with a sweeper or other device and the handle quickly assembled by the user without the aid of tools and also one in which when the sections are assembled are retained so they cannot be disassembled by means commonly available to the users.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 represents a carpet sweeper, mainly conventionally shown, and provided with a bale 2 having a socket 3 therein internally threaded to receive the threaded end 4 of a handle designated generally by the numeral 5. The handle 5 is made up of sections 6, 7, 8 and 9 which may be formed of drawn United lStates.. Patent:`

ice

2 tubingrbut. desirably. for economy of rolled weldedsheet stock., The joints of the rolled stockv are notillustrated astheyxform no part of this invention-and they are not observable. `in the finished structure.

The` sections 7, 8. and 9'are provided with dowel portions 10 at one end and the sections 6,Y 7 and, 8y have socket portionsl'l; adapted to telescopingly receivev the dowel-portions 10.y The section. 9, is thetouterl section ofthe. handle. and hasa closure 4or cap .12. The, section 6ristap,ered .and threaded, at 4 yto removablyengage. the socket 3. After the'tubular sectionsl are;- formed'of the desired-length the dowelsl()v areformedyby compressibly reducingthe` same and .desirably to give the same. aslight taper. which is shownsomewhatexaggeratedein FigsnZ and, 3. The reduction: indiameter atfthe. basel ofA the dowelA portionsgisfvequal, tosthe, thickness!r ofthe. .wall and the reduced portion terminates in an abrupt shoulder 13 at the base of the dowel with which the end 14 of the socket portion 11 abuts when the parts are in completely telescoped engagement as shown in Fig. 2.

The dowel members or portions 10 are formed with longitudinal grooves 15 therein which open at the ends of the dowels `and terminate at their inner ends in inclined shoulders 16. The dowels have an opening 17 aligned with the groove and closely adjacent to the inner end thereof, the outer edge 18 of the opening constituting a keeper. The socket portions 11 have tongue-like detents 19 struck inwardly therefrom and spaced from their ends 14 so that when the ends 14 are in abutting relation to the shoulders 13 the tongue, which is guided to position by the grooves 15, snaps into the opening 17 engaging the keeper portion thereof. The dowcl openings 17 are cir cular in shape Iand of approximately equal diameter to the width of the grooves 15 as illustrated and the detents 19 are half circular in shape and slightly smaller in diameter than the openings 19 so as to enter into the openings in opposed relation to the keeper edges 18. The grooves lserve to guide the parts in their telescoping engagement so that the detents vare properly positioned to engage the openings when the dowel and socket portions are completely telescoped. This also serves to facilitate the assembling of the parts by the user as they are not readily telescoped unless the detents are aligned with the grooves. The shoulders 16 at the inner ends of the grooves are inclined which also aids in the ready assembling of the parts.

After forming, the parts may be finished by painting with a suitable metallic paint or otherwise finished and the finished coating may extend onto the dowel members |as the coating is not thick enough to interfere with the telescoping engagement of the parts. The sections may be very easily assembled without the aid of tools merely by pressing them together in teleseoping relation but they are effectively retained in assembled relation and it is difficult to disassemble them even with the aid of special tools. It is not intended that they shall be disassembled and generally there is no need for disassembling.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate the sections arranged in side by side relation and secured in that relation by means of banding tapes 20 in which relation the banded parts can he placed in the carton with the sweeper. This greatly facilitates the merchandising `and delivery as the sweepers and handles can be placed in the carton and the merchant is not required to open the carton before it is delivered to the customer. Also the sweepers and handles may be delivered by post in a single carton.

l have illustrated and described my invention in an embodiment thereof which I consider highly practical. It is believed that the disclosure made will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt the invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A sectional handle comprising mating tubular sections having body portions of equal circular cross section, one section having a socket portion on one end formed as an equal continuation of its body portion, the other section having a dowel portion 0n one end of reduced radial cross section to t Within said socket portion, said dowel portion having an axially extending and radially depressed groove formed therein from its outer end and part way along its length to an axially facing shoulder, said dowel portion having a circular hole formed therein of equal width to the width of said groove and positioned in axial alignment with said groove in spaced relation to said shoulder to leave an arcuate keeper between the shoulder and the hole, and a half round springable detent of smaller Width than said groove struck inwardly from said socket portion with its curved edge faced outwardly 'of the socket, said detent being positioned to enter into said said hole and engage said keeper when the end of 4the socket portion engages the end of the body portion 4 Y of the other .section at the inner end of said dowel portion.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,841 Weston June 10, 1873 788,488 Miller Apr. 25, 1905 839,297 Kennedy et al. Dec. 25, 1906 1,239,223 Ross Sept. 4, 1917 1,267,076 Hudson May 21, 1918 1,297,591 Prescott Mar. 18, 1919 1,301,565 Jacobs Apr. 22, 1919 1,665,988 Smith Apr. 10, 1928 1,707,230 Lowy Apr. 2, 1929 1,851,404 Rose Mar. 29, 1932 2,108,003 Stough Feb. 8, 1938 2,112,247 McLoughlin Mar. 29, 1938 2,212,679 White Aug. 27, 1940 2,564,915 Nelson Aug. 21, 1951 

